Beef safety made giant strides in the past two years. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reports a 54% reduction in the rate of E. coli O157:H7 positives for raw ground beef samples from fiscal year 2003 to 2005. FSIS attributes the drop to policy changes and industry actions. In addition, FSIS says E. coli O157:H7 infections fell below the 2010 National Health Objective of one case per 100,000 persons for the first time ever.